Our Second Annual All-school Assembly took place Wednesday morning at MCS! All of our staff and students, from toddlers to elementary, gathered for an incredible presentation. The Utah Okinawa Kenjinkai group shared a beautiful performance about their cultural Japanese heritage. They introduced us to Okinawan traditional music, dances, folk craft, and martial arts while briefly discussing the Japanese history associated in a fun and enlightening way. A lot of our young toddler friends enjoyed singing and dancing throughout the assembly while our older friends were impressed by the costumes and instruments. In the traditional Okinawan dance, the Eisa, there is a closing song to end the performance. We were invited to join the dancers and dance together waving our hands to the beat of the music and drums. It was a great experience for all of our students to enjoy this cultural opportunity as a whole community. Check our last year's...

Marcus tongs plastic cubes in the Toddler Suns classroom. This work develops small motor coordination, prepares the hand for writing, and encourages control of movement and independence. Kenzee places pictures on the Timeline of Life in the Lower Elementary Oquirrh classroom. Margaret presents the Checkerboard to Rebeka and Mary. Bobbi engages with the Long Chains, used for skip counting, squaring and cubing work, in the Lower Elementary Oquirrh classroom. Rebeka and Corey analyze a square in the Upper Elementary Uinta classroom. Mindy gives husband, Aaron, a knitting lesson. Melissa identifies and analyzes the Seven Triangles of Reality. Jeff researches Land Forms as part of the Lower Elementary Geography curriculum. Margaret shares a lovely extension of the Pink Tower, a very popular and well recognized piece of Sensorial material which refines visual discrimination, preparing the child for further reading and mathematical work...

SAVE THE DATE for MCS MOVIE NIGHT! Flood Relief Fundraiser WHERE : The Tower Theatre < 876 East 900 South – Salt Lake City, UT 84105 > WHEN : Wednesday, December 3, 2014 < 7PM - 9PM > DETAILS : In an effort to help raise funds for MCS to replace some of the materials lost during the flood, we are excited to announce a special screening of the film Almost Ablaze. Awarded "Film Of The Year" at the 2014 International Freeski Film Festival, Almost Ablaze is a global odyssey combining state-of-the-art cinematography and the most progressive riding on earth. TICKET SALES : Ticket sales will begin the week of November 10th and an email and flyer will go out to all MCS families with details on how to...

With the end of the school year drawing near, the energy of our student body is increasing. However, our teachers have Montessori Community School buzzing with activities, field trips, and End of Year Ceremonies. This week, MCS has been celebrating our teachers through Teacher Appreciation Week. Truly, we can not express enough gratitude and thanks for our teachers here at MCS. Their dedication, love, support, and passion toward each child is awe-inspiring. We feel so blessed and grateful for their devotion to each student and Montessori Community School. How our teachers can keep the energy up, continue to plan such wonderful, educational activities, and coordinate so many beautiful ceremonies is a wonder. To our fabulous teachers, we say, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Support Montessori Community School's Fun Run Fundraiser, Wednesday, May 7th. Proceeds go toward our sponsored girls through the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, COEEF and our Grandmothers through the Adopt-a-Native-Elder Program.

Montessori Community School is in full bloom as we move into our last month this 2013 - 2014 school year. The end of a school year can be stressful time. The weather is warmer, summer break is in sight, and both students and teachers are reflecting on the work accomplished, materials learned, and planning for the summer and the next school year. We are so proud of our students, teachers, and families for the dedication, involvement, and passion thus far demonstrated within our school community. We are so grateful to have such a great environment in which to educate, grow, and explore with each other. This year, we have watched our students blossom. As we make this last push through the remainder of the school year, we hope there will be time for reflection and appreciation toward our incredible student body.

ATTENTION MCS PARENTS FUN-RUN Wednesday, May 7th Please find your child's Fun-Run Pledge Envelope in their take-home file. The purpose of the Fun Run is to raise funds for our two special Navajo grandmothers, Emma and Elvira, as well as our seven students from Ethiopia. Both of these programs are close to our hearts as we have seen the enormous difference our time and efforts can make for those involved in the programs. This week the students at MCS are learning more about both programs. The Pledge Envelopes include instructions on collecting funds for the Fun Run. We are still looking for some parent volunteers and invite you to sign up in the office to assist on May 7th. Our goal for this year is to raise at least $6500. As we have 219 students enrolled at this time this means that if each child could aim to raise $30 we would...

Montessori Cultural curriculum includes learning about Geography, Science, Music, Art, and Yoga. Throughout these studies, our students have become familiar with continents, oceans, and countries including but not limited to specific flora, fauna, flags, and folks. Montessori cultural education helps students to adapt to their own culture, inspires a love of learning, and offers a new perspective of the world. Within this spectrum, our students get the opportunity to do an in depth study of a particular culture, focusing on specific countries of our world and their uniqueness. Thursday, April 24 th our Elementary and Middle School students will be presenting their cultural studies for MCS’s Annual Cultural Fair from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm in the MCS gymnasium. Our students’ presentations will remain set up throughout Friday, April 25 th until late morning for all those wanting to swing by, view, support, and share in the success and hard work...

Our deepest gratitude to parent, Richard Dorsky, for visiting our Magnolias, Oquirrh, Wasatch and Uinta classrooms to share his presentation on the brain. (yes, folks, those are real brains the students are studying!)

At 10:15am today our school participated in an earthquake drill. The students practiced "drop and cover." Once given the all clear the students and teachers evacuated the building. The drill was successful and following the drill our staff reviewed additional procedures that would benefit MCS in the event of an earthquake. Development of our Emergency Preparedness plan is ongoing. Some information can be found in our Parent Handbooks and we anticipate that by fall we will have a more detailed write-up to share with families. Thank you for your ongoing support! Students practice "Duck and Cover" upon hearing the Earthquake Alarm sound. Teachers call roll upon arrival to the back field. Everyone is accounted for! Audio played over our P.A. system to symbolize the earthquake.

Thursday, April 17, 2014, Montessori Community School will participate in the Great Utah Shake Out. Our staff Emergency Preparedness team has met to review procedures and future preparation plans. Thursday at 10:15 am our students and staff will participate in an earth quake drill where we will practice "Drop, Cover and Hold On." Then we will practice an evacuation of the building. Parents will be informed once all students have been accounted for. Many thanks to Ramira, Jan, Bob and the rest of our staff for your commitment to the safety of our staff and students.

The Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, or COEEF, is a Utah-based organization that provides crucial access to materials, uniforms and an absolutely vital private education to many children in Ethiopia. Fiercely dedicated to the protection and instruction of young girls, COEEF provides a new kind of life in an otherwise perilous, sexist, underprivileged and poverty-driven region of the world. We share the mission of this organization as we mark our 6th year of support to such a pivotal duty of the world’s edification. COEEF takes its place in the school within our Service Learning Program, a program designed to give our students a channel to ignite character, build trust and connect with others through acts of true service. COEEF was created by a local SLC couple: Norm and Ruthann Perdue, when they traveled to the country with a humanitarian mission. During their service, they learned of the great educational disparity in...